A Clay County woman's family said it's seeking justice after their loved one died shortly after being shocked 10 times with Taser guns during a confrontation with police.
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The family of 56-year-old Emily Delafield said it would take the Green Cove Springs Police Department to court, according to a WJXT-TV report.

In April 2006, officers with the police department said they were called to a disturbance at a home in the 400 block of Harrison Street just before 5 p.m.

In a 911 call made to the Green Cove Springs, Delafield can be heard telling a dispatcher that she believed she was in danger:

Dispatcher: And what's the problem?

Delafield: My sister is waiting on my property.

Dispatcher: Your what?

Delafield: My sister (inaudible) is on my property trying to harm me.

Officers said they arrived to find Delafield in a wheelchair, armed with two knives and a hammer. Police said the woman was swinging the weapons at family members and police.

Within an hour of her call to 911, Delafield, a wheelchair-bound woman documented to have mental illness, was dead.

Family attorney Rick Alexander said Delafield's death could have been prevented and that there are four things that jump out at him about the case.

"One, she's in a wheelchair. Two, she's schizophrenic. Three, they're using a Taser on a person that's in a wheelchair, and then four is that they tasered her 10 times for a period of like two minutes," Alexander said.

Just a few things to add... I brought this up today in a forum I frequent because we were discussing the Kerry event taser incident yesterday. I was posting it to show an example of what appeared to be clear taser abuse, but one guy dug (get it? lawl) up a bit more information and proved there is always more to a story than initially meets the eye:

"Associate Medical Examiner Valerie Rao, who performed the autopsy in Jacksonville last year, said the Taser shocks were a "very small factor" in the death of Delafield, who was obese and had an enlarged heart and was confined to a wheelchair. But the Tasers were a contributing factor, she said."

"Our officers attempted to disarm her ... and family members became involved -- they attempted on several occasions to have her release the knives and hammer," Chief Robert Musco said. "After several minutes the Taser was utilized and the subject was disarmed."

"Musco also said Delafield's family gave the officers permission to use the Taser on the woman."

Seeing as how the family gave permission to taser when they knew about her health conditions, I find it hard to believe they will be faulted. Plus, it demonstrates that the cops had the common sense to ask the family first and that they weren't just going in blazing.

Just because the family said yes doesn't mean they should have done it. For all we know, they're a family of dip****s who shouldn't be listened to at all about anything...and as it turns out that seems to be very much the case.